we are dangerous

Mia opened the door to her house, frowning when she heard familiar screams. It wasn't easy being a gang leader’s daughter. Well, it was easy, but it had it fall backs. Like the fact that she couldn't have men over or friend. Not that any of that mattered to her. She had her own piece of man candy in her foyer. Bryce Lawrence, god it was like he got more attractive every time she seen him. Even tonight when his close her covered in splatters of blood he looked handsome.

"Having fun are we?" She asked the guys that stood in her foyer. Mia knew that Bryce had liked her. From the way, his eyes traveled over her when she was around all the way to how sweet he was to her. She looked at the guys, "I leave a party to find another one in my home." She said, smiling sweetly. Mia walked by them, "Carry on boys. Try not to ruin the rug." She said. Mia frowned when the bloody guy on the floor reached for her in desperation. She kicked him back down, "Let's get one thing straight asshole my shoes are worth more than your life so don't touch me." She snapped. She walked away and went up the stairs to her bedroom.

Mia went into her bedroom, taking her heels off. She sighed as she removed her jewelry. She didn't want to take her dress off just yet because she really did love it. She knew she had picked the perfect one when she was shopping. After a good amount of silence Mia decided to go downstairs. She smiled when she seen Bryce watching the other guys carry the now dead man out. Mia leaned against the banister that looked over the foyer. "Did you have fun Bryce?" She asked, smiling as he looked up at him. Mia knew exactly what she was doing when she flirted with Bryce. Sure they had made out a few times and got a little handsy, but she never went any farther than that. Her dad may had been a gang leader, but he raised a lady. “Where is my sister?” She asked. She had not seen her since she got home. She assumed that Aria was out with some of her friends as well. “What did that guy do that was so bad that you had to kill him?” She asked.

Mia walked down the stairs to him, “Are you going to come to my daddy’s party tomorrow night?” She asked. Of course Bryce was there, but Mia felt the need to ask anyway. Her dad always had his gang member there. Bryce was one of his top guys now and he had to attend every event. Mia liked having him around though. She found it cute that Bryce got jealous of guys that talked to her. They weren’t even together yet and he was threatening men that tried to date her. Growing up in a house with the mafia’s head boss had made her attracted to bad guys. After seeing them constantly it was almost inevitable. When Bryce first started coming around Mia was only sixteen and he wasn’t even in his dad’s view to be a guy in charge. Bryce had grown into the type of man that Mia’s dad needed though. Cold, heartless and violent. Years of working for the mafia did that to a person. Even Mia herself was harsh to people. Mia smiled at him, “I may bring a date, but i’m not really sure. What do you think?” She asked him as she stood on the last stair, looking at him.

---

Kaleb stood in the foyer with the rest of the guys, watching as Bryce beat the guy on the floor in front of him. He had just started hanging out with Bryce since his boss said that he needed to learn a few more things. Kaleb looked up to Bryce though. He learned a few things from him so far. Maybe it was the way that Bryce carried himself, but it was clear he was a leader. Kaleb nodded when he was told to take the unconscious man outside and kill him. “Okay.” He said, with the help of the other two men they carried the guy out into the driveway. Kaleb pulled a pistol from his waist and pointed it at the man’s head. He looked over as Aria’s car pulled up. Though he waited til she made her way inside. Kaleb pulled the trigger of his gun, then helped load the man into the black SUV. He watched as the other guys pulled out then took the hose and sprayed the blood and brain matter off the black top. Kaleb walked inside, seeing Bryce standing there with one of the boss’s daughters, Mia. Kaleb didn’t know how Bryce had no fear hitting on that girl. Kaleb really liked Aria, but he was worried about what her father would do to him.

Kaleb looked over at Aria, seeing her in the kitchen. She was so gorgeous and she knew it for sure. The way she acted and carried herself. Kaleb walked into the kitchen, “Hey.” He said. They had talked before and she flirted with him, but he wasn’t sure where to go from there. It was very risky for him to get involved with her. “What did you do tonight?” He asked her. Kaleb had been told by her dad to look after Aria. It wasn’t extreme security, but he did like to know where she was in case her dad asked. There was plenty of other gang members to watch her throughout the city.

@ momentai.

Bryce looked over when he heard Mia walk in and, had he not been so busy with the worthless fool that he was busy beating up, he would have taken the opportunity to take in her features more. Instead, he offered a small smirk before he returned his attention to the idiot that had angered his boss. Before long, he had the others take the man out and finish the job, then focused on icing his hands and cleaning them up while he could. While his hands ached a bit, it really was nothing new, and he loved teaching people lessons when they needed those lessons taught the most - even if the lessons ultimately ended with those peoples' deaths. At least they died knowing that it could have been avoided.

His attention went to Mia when he heard her voice again and he looked up at her with a small, amused smirk. "Of course I had fun. Don't I usually?" he mentioned as casually as he could before he shrugged slightly upon hearing her later question. "I heard her car just a few minutes ago. She's probably around the house somewhere," he assured, though his smirk returned when he heard her final question. "He owed your father some money and refused to pay up, claiming that your father tricked him into taking the money. We can't have your father's name smeared by some moron, now, can we?"

When the mention of the party came up, though, he wasn't sure what answer he should offer in response, so he merely offered another shrug. "That depends on whether your father asks me to be there or not," he said, as he wasn't sure if this party was more for the public or for the mafia. Regardless, he didn't think too much into it and frowned slightly at her later words. "Is that really the best option? I don't think your father would like you having a date there," he mentioned, though he wouldn't like it himself.

---

Aria couldn't possibly be surprised to find Kaleb pointing a gun at a man when she got home. She didn't interrupt or intervene, even if she did feel somewhat bad for the poor man who'd gotten himself in the situation. There wasn't much of a point in feeling bad about it for too long, though, since she heard the gunshot not long after she entered the house. Entering the kitchen, she was quick to turn the radio on, though it was mostly to block out the noise that the men in the house tended to make. Her father trusted these men, but it often meant that they did as they pleased - drinking, partying, killing. They were loud and obnoxious but she didn't want to listen to it when she'd only just gotten home.

Moving to the fridge, she pulled out a tub of ice cream while she occasionally danced along to the music playing on the radio. When she heard Kaleb's voice, her eyes went over to him as she pulled out a spoon and scooped out some ice cream to eat. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she hummed out with a small smirk before she shrugged and took a bite, tilting her head slightly as she eyed him. "The same thing I always do. I went to a party, went shopping, traded my number for a free latte to keep me up for a few more hours. Nothing new, really." She shrugged slightly before she returned her attention to the ice cream.

She, however, occasionally glanced over at him, slight amusement on her features. Eventually, she pushed away from the counter, holding the tub of ice cream as she moved over to him. "Want some?" she asked with an arched brow. "I mean, I can't eat this all by myself, can I? That would make me seem like some depressed girl whose boyfriend just broke up with her, but, let's face it, dear old daddy wouldn't let a guy outside his mafia members get within ten feet of me. Lucky you, hm?"

Mia looked at him when he talked about what her dad would think, “He will get over it.” She said as she watched him. “Though I won’t have to bring a date if you are there.” She said as she ran her fingers through her hair. She stood in front of him, watching him for a moment, “I’m sure my daddy will make you attend though. After all you are his favorite.” She said as she stepped off the last stair. She walked around him for a moment then leaned against the banister next to him. “What else did you do today or did you spend your whole day stalking that poor man?” She asked cutely. Not that she cared about that man at all. He probably deserved what Bryce did to him. She looked down at his hands, seeing they were all beat up.
Mia took his hand in hers and ran her fingers over his knuckles lightly. “You should really wrap these.” She said as her eyes met his. Though Bryce would never do that because he claimed it made him look weak. Mia bit her bottom lip lightly as he spoke, then kissed his knuckles. She was kind of excited to have the party tomorrow. “When do you have to go home?” She asked. Bryce didn’t live far from there house, but her dad would never let him live with them, knowing how much Mia liked him. She liked him more than she had ever like anyone. He was so perfect.
Mia stepped back from Bryce as the door opened and the guys that had been helping him walked in with some beer and liquor. She looked over as her dad walked out of his office and she moved away from Bryce more. He dad may have liked Bryce a lot but he still was protective of Mia. Mia walked away from them and went to the kitchen, getting herself a water. She looked at Aria, “Have fun tonight?” She asked, smiling.

---

Kaleb shook his head when she offered him ice cream, “No thank you.” He said. He had never really been a fan of ice cream. He frowned when she said about her dad not letting her date, “He does that for your own good Aria.” He reminded her. “People outside of our group can’t be trusted.” He said. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and opened it. “You will see that all this will do you good in the end.” He said before walking out and joining the guys. He took a swig of his beer, looking over as the boss walked out of his office. Kaleb looked at Bryce as the boss talked to him.
John looked at Bryce, “Did you take care of our problem?” He asked. He looked at all the guys with beers, “I’m assuming that you did seeing as everyone is drinking.” He added. He looked over as Mia scampered off into the kitchen. He had been watching her because she had taken a liking to Bryce. “I need you to do me a favor Bryce.” He said as he walked him away from the group and into his office. He shut the door, looking at the boy in front of him. “Mia’s got herself a man. I heard about it from one of my guys. I need you to get rid of him. We can’t have her talking to other men now can we?” He asked, seeing the anger boil up inside of Bryce. “I know you like her a lot Bryce and I think you might do well for her. First I need you to get rid of this other guy first.” He said, handing the file about the guy to Bryce. “Make it messy if you want. I can tell that you are clearly upset by this news.” He said, opening his office door. “Oh and Bryce…Don’t take your anger out on Mia. She likes to stir the pot and see if she can cause trouble.” He said, chuckling.

Kaleb frowned as Bryce walked out looking pretty pissed off. He moved back into the kitchen to Aria, “Who were you with tonight?” He asked. He had to make sure that wasn’t why her dad was upset. He frowned when she didn’t say something right away, “Aria! Who were you with?” HE asked, not raising his voice too much. Kaleb relaxed as she told him, “Okay I’m just making sure.” He said.

@ momentai.

Bryce didn't really have much time to talk to Mia before John called him into his office. He followed the man quietly, though listened to him intently. A frown settled onto his features, though, as John spoke about everything. Really... Mia had just been saying all of those sweet things and everything, but here John was claiming that Mia was seeing somebody? His jaw clenched with the thought, because it made him feel like Mia had tricked him, but there wasn't much he could do about it without John's permission. Unsurprisingly, though, John seemed all for getting rid of the problem, and Bryce offered a small nod. "I'll do what I can," he assured without much thought, because he always did what he was ordered to. It helped that this was also about Mia, though. To John's later words, Bryce wasn't sure how to response, because he wasn't sure that he would be able to refrain from letting Mia know that he was angry at this point, but he nodded anyways. "I'll get this taken care of soon," he promised before he walked out of the office.

---

Aria's jaw clenched when she heard Kaleb talking to her and her eyes narrowed at him when he raised his voice. "Who was I with? I was with my friends. What the hell does it even matter?" she asked before she snorted and looked away from him. "Just because you're my dad's bitch doesn't mean that you have any right to even try to lecture me about who I hang out with. You and my dear old daddy can fuck off. If I want to hang out with somebody, I will." She hated when things got like this. There were many times where she could see herself falling for Kaleb, but then things like this happened and it always seemed to ruin everything. It put her in a bad mood but she forced a smile to her lips and looked to her sister.

"I did," she assured. "I even went shopping. Got you a few things. Come on, let's get away from these creeps so you can have a look at everything," she hummed out before she linked her arm through Mia's and tugged her outside so that she could get everything out of the car. Really, though, she just wanted a breath of fresh air. When things inside the house got tense, the entire house felt tense and she hated that; she just wanted to be normal for once, but everybody that worked for her dad seemed hellbent on preventing that.

Mia smiled when her sister said she got her stuff, “Oh yay!” She said as she walked with her. She walked out to the car with her and helped her carry the things up to her sister’s bedroom. “Why does everyone seem to be acting weird tonight?” She asked. Mia took the things that her sister gave her then went to her room and decided to get some sleep before the next day.
The next night Mia finished getting dressed and walked down to the party. She frowned as she noticed that Bryce was kind of avoiding her. She didn’t know what she did, but she was sure she would be able to ask him eventually. The party was going on and Mia frowned when the front door opened and her dad had one of his guys, drag in the guy that Mia had seen. Her eyes widened and her dad looked at her. “I decided to speed the process up.” He said, looking at Bryce. Mia looked at her dad and Bryce, “Daddy what are you doing?” She asked, going over to him. John looked at him, “I told you no friends outside of this house and you went out with this guy.” He said. Mia frowned, “He’s just my friend” She argued. John nodded, “Yea well friends that are guys always end up fucking the girls that are friends.” He said. Mia glared at him when he told Bryce to beat the kid to death. Mia grabbed Bryce’s arm, “Bryce please don’t. He’s just my friend I swear.” She said, seeing his angry boiling up. Part of her knew that he wasn’t going to listen to her though because her dad gave him an order. Mia gasped as her dad pulled her off of Bryce. She looked over at Aria and then looked at Bryce.

---

Kaleb stood at the party next to Aria and frowned at the scene that was unfolding in front of him. He didn’t know what to do. Of course part of him knew to just stay out of it. He took a sip of his beer and winced as he watched the guy throw the kid on the ground at Bryce’s feet. Kaleb stood near Aria, “Is that really just a friend?” HE asked her. He didn’t know if Mia was telling the truth, but he hoped she was. He liked Aria and he hoped that his boss wouldn’t do the same to her friends. He would feel awful to have to watch her lose a friend like that.

@ momentai.

Bryce's eyes narrowed as he watched the guy get dragged in. Just seeing him sent a surge of anger through him. He wanted to tear the limbs off the guy and to torture him. It wasn't something that Bryce could help, because Bryce genuinely cared about Mia and he hadn't thought that was possible for him before Mia came along. And, to think that she had just been tricking him honestly hurt. "You really think anybody would believe he's just your friend?" he asked after a moment before he looked over at Mia. "You're so intent on protecting him, it makes it seem obvious that you care about him. And, caring about people outside of this organization is dangerous for all of us, including you." He fell silent, then, his fists clenching as he turned his attention back to the guy, though he spoke to John next. "Can I get started now?" he asked bluntly.

---

Aria frowned slightly as she watched what was happening, though she glanced over to Kaleb for a moment. "I don't know. She doesn't talk to me about these things," she muttered, though she soon moved away from Kaleb to approach her dad. "Daddy, is killing him really the best idea? Why not just beat him up and use him as a message, a warning?" she suggested. She knew he wouldn't just let the guy off, but she hoped that she could at least get him to avoid killing the poor kid. Regardless of what he meant to Mia, she didn't think anybody deserved death just because they were associated with her or Mia. "Just think about it, daddy. Killing him won't do you any good. You could even use him, if you have to," she added quietly as she stared at him, hoping to get him to come to his senses, or even just to have some semblance of compassion.

Mia frowned at how harsh Bryce was being to her. She looked at her dad when Bryce asked if he could start. John nodded, “Go ahead.” He said. Mia looked over at Aria who was trying to reason with her dad. John chuckled, “Oh sweetie you have a long way to go before you are the leader. Bryce kill him…slowly.” He asked. Mia watched as Bryce began to beat the guy on the floor. She pulled away from her dad and went outside to where the pool was and sat on the bench. Mia looked ahead of her and seen the garden. She knew that Bryce was mad and she tried to tell him the truth. He didn’t believe her and now he probably hated her. Mia wiped the tears that fell from her cheeks as she heard the screaming from inside of the house. Mia got to her feet and walked inside, seeing Bryce standing over the bloody man on the floor. She walked over and shoved Bryce hard enough to take him off balance, “Stop it!” She screamed at him. She stared at him, “You don’t have to hurt him! I don’t even like him. I love your dumbass!” She yelled. “Well at least I thought I did. Until now.” She added as she stood in front of the guy. John glared at Mia, “Mia go to your room.” He said. Mia turned to him, “Make me.” She said, her dad suddenly getting in her face.

---

Kaleb frowned as Aria approached her dad. There was not luck there and he frowned as Bryce began to beat the guy. Though he was shocked to see Mia, shove Bryce a few minutes later. When he heard the younger girl say she loved Bryce he was caught off guard like everyone else in the room. Kaleb frowned as John got in his daughters face and began to yell at her. He knew that John could be violent even towards his daughters. Kaleb grabbed Aria’s hand to keep her from going to get in between it. He didn’t want to see her get hurt.

@ momentai.

Bryce had lost himself in beating the guy up, though that wasn't anything new. His anger got the best of him and, when his anger was mixed with an order, there was absolutely no stopping him. Or, at least, there normally wasn't. When Mia shoved him, he turned to glare at him. "This isn't your problem, Mia," he told her firmly, though he frowned when he heard her words. What was he supposed to say to that? She knew that he couldn't tell her he loved her, too. John would kill him if he ever even thought of loving Mia, even if he was John's favorite. Nobody touched John's little girls, even if they weren't really little anymore. His jaw clenched and he glanced away, though he frowned when he heard John get involved. His fists clenched, then, and he wanted to intervene, but he couldn't when it would just end with his death. "Sir, is this really necessary?" he asked instead.

---

Aria frowned slightly as she watched everything. She was used to seeing this kind of violence, but it was never easy. However, she knew that looking away meant weakness and her father did not want weakness. When Mia came back and started yelling at Bryce, Aria had every intention of just ignoring it, up until their father started yelling at Mia. Her fists clenched and she moved to approach the two, but paused when she felt somebody grab her hand. When she looked back to see Kaleb, she frowned slightly. "Let go, Kaleb," she murmured quietly, "If somebody doesn't stop him now, he's going to hurt my sister and I won't let that happen. So, either you let go of me right now or I kick you so hard in your groin that you can't reproduce."

John glared at Bryce when he said something, “It is very necessary!” He snapped. “Now shut your mouth before you end up six feet under.” He threatened Bryce. Mia rolled her eyes, “Of please as if you would do that. You don’t even do half of the stuff. Bryce does it all.” She snapped. John looked at her, “Go to your room. I don’t have time to deal with you acting like a whore.” He yelled. Mia narrowed her eyes and she had not idea what came over her but the next thing she knew her fist was connecting with her father’s jaw. “Fuck you!” She yelled at him. John turned with a glare, then grabbed her and shoved her roughly to the ground, “You want to act like you are a tough girl then I guess we will see.” He said as he walked towards her. Mia screamed as he grabbed ahold of her arm aggressively and pulled her back to her feet.

---

Kaleb at first was not going to let go of Aria, but when he seen John shove Mia to the ground he let go. He looked at Bryce who looked so torn. He could tell he wanted to help, but ever guy in that room knew better. If you went against the boss you died. Kaleb looked at Aria as she approached her dad. He winced as John slapped Mia. “You think you can disrespect me in my house!” John’s voice boomed in the house. “Let me remind you who is in charge.” He said, pulling his pistol out and point it at the bloody guy on the ground, shooting him at least seven times. “I killed him and I have no problem killing him.” John said, turning the gun on Bryce. “So I dare you to be with him Mia. I dare you.” John said.

@ momentai.

Bryce felt pain flood through him each time he realized that Mia was being hurt. He couldn't look, though, couldn't even dream of forcing himself to watch, because he didn't want to see her get hurt, ever. Hearing John threaten his life was the last thing he cared about. He could die right now, John could kill him right there, and Bryce wouldn't care. All that Bryce cared about was Mia and he wanted her to be okay and for her to be safe, but there wasn't anything that he could do about it. If he even tried to defy John, the man would shoot him dead right there, just to make Mia feel awful and Bryce didn't want that at all. All Bryce wanted was to make sure that Mia was okay, but he couldn't even look over at her to do that.

---

Aria frowned as she heard her father's threats, her eyes narrowing in a glare when he hurt Mia. "Stop it!" she yelled, "You would kill your best man just because your daughter loves him? You're so fucked up in the head, you don't even see how stupid that is!" Turning, she moved over to one of the other guys and pulled out their gun before she pointed it at her father. "You touch Mia again and I'll kill you on the spot. I could care less about Bryce, but Mia is my sister and I'll be damned if I let our own father hurt her. You're a boss, you have no reason to try to proclaim your dominance by hurting your own children and threatening the one man who's stayed by your side and obeyed every single fucking order you've ever given him. Are you that desperate for your daughter to give you respect that you'd kill the one person that would get your daughter to follow you without question? When will you learn that using people to send a message is the better option? Use Bryce to get Mia to fall in line. Let them be together, for God's sake. You want loyalty? Respect? You get that by being the man that we all once knew."

Mia stood in front of her dad his hand still gripping tight on her arm as Aria spoke to him. John looked at Aria, “You have a point.” He said. He pushed Mia into Bryce, watching the boy keep her up. “She’s your responsibility now.” He said to Bryce. “You get her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.” He said. “Hell let’s have a wedding.” He said. Mia looked at her dad, feeling Bryce’s arms around her. She pulled away from Bryce a little. John watched as Bryce looked afraid, “I’m kidding.” He said, chuckling as he put his gun away. “About the wedding part. She is your responsibility now.” He said. He looked at Aria, “Put the gun away sweetheart before you hurt yourself.” He said. “Marco clean this bastard’s brains off my floor.” He said before he stepped over the dead body and went back to talk to one of his friends like nothing just happen. Marco groaned as he walked over and began to clean up. Mia looked at Bryce and pulled away, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Part of her didn’t trust that her dad wouldn’t hurt Bryce.

---

Kaleb stood there listened to Aria. He knew that she was going to be a good leader someday. He watched as everyone went back to their normal activities. Though Mia still looked shaken up. He walked over to Aria, “Are you okay?” He asked her. He knew that standing up to her dad wasn’t always the easiest thing. “You did good.” He said as he offered her her drink back that he was holding for her. Kaleb was pretty glad that he had her to look after. She could hold her own.

@ momentai.

Bryce's arms wrapped around Mia the moment he could allow them to. He listened to John, but he wasn't sure how serious the man was. Regardless, he didn't want to think too far into it and, once everything was calmer, he looked down at Mia with curiosity and concern. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his hand rubbing her back gently before she pulled away from him. He didn't fight to hold her there and released his hold, so that she could grieve if she felt it necessary. He wasn't sure what to do, though. Had John been serious about everything other than the wedding?

---

Aria took a shaky breath when her father finally relented. She fought to regain herself, but she was still shocked at her own actions. When Kaleb came over, she was silent for a few moments as she returned the gun to its owner. When she finally spoke, she looked at Kaleb. "I don't know," she murmured honestly before she shook her head and looked away after she took her drink back. "I think I need to sit down or something. That was a little... overwhelming."

Mia looked at him, “I’m fine.” She said. She bit her bottom lip lightly, “I’m sorry.” She said. She felt bad that she had put him in a bad place with her dad. Mia looked over as Marco and some other guy started to carry out the dead body. “He was just my friend by the way.” She said, looking back at him. “Not that it matters now.” She said before she walked away and sent to get something to drink. She moved her way through the people at the party and got herself a drink. She wanted to be with Bryce, but now she was scared. Mia eventually found her way back to Bryce and stood next to him. She wanted to talk to him, but she wasn’t really sure if she should

---

Kaleb nodded, “Yea go ahead and sit.” He said. He sat with her and then watched as she drank her drink. “You did good Aria.” He said. He looked around them, seeing Mia walk off. “You think your dad was serious or is he trying to set up Bryce?” He asked. Bryce was a good friend of his and he didn’t want to see something bad happen to him. Kaleb took a sip of his drink and watched the people at the party.

@ momentai.

Bryce watched her quietly, but he wasn't really sure whether he should believe her. She had mentioned bringing a date to this party, after all, so how could he assume that she was being completely truthful? Had this been the guy she had planned to have as her date? Instead of saying anything, he watched her leave and tried to relax, but he felt tense and uneasy while he waited for her to return. Even when she came back, though, the silence remained and he felt the need to interrupt it. "Try not to drink too much," he said after a moment, though he spoke quietly. "If your dad really is up to something, I'd really rather you not be drunk when he pulls out his tricks."

---

Aria didn't feel like she'd done good. Really, she felt like she should have killed her father, because she knew that he was just going to get moody at some other point and it would cause trouble all over again. Chewing on her lip, she took a sip of her drink as she tried to relax in her seat and she glanced around on occasion. When she heard his question, though, she sighed quietly. "I don't know," she muttered quietly, "Who knows what the hell goes on in that bastard's brain? He's... unstable, unpredictable, and just plain crazy... There's no telling what he's actually up to." Hell, she expected him to lash out at her at any moment because she had stood up against him.

Mia looked at him, “Okay.” She said softly. She stood close to him, “I’m sorry I got you involved.” She whispered. “I shouldn’t have done that.” She added. She felt awful for getting him in trouble with her dad. Mia didn’t want to see Bryce get hurt. She finished her drink then stayed with him. The party was not as fun as she thought it was going to be anymore. Now she was just worried that her dad was going to do something to hurt Bryce. When it came time for Bryce to leave she walked to his car with him. “Please be careful.” She said, grabbing his arm to stop him from getting in. “Please.” She begged him. If her dad was going to do something it could be at any time or anywhere. “I’ll go with you.” She said, frowning when she realized by Bryce’s face that he was against that idea.

---

Kaleb looked at her, “I won’t let him hurt you.” He said. He was telling the truth. He would rather die than let Aria get killed. She was too good of a person. He nodded when she said that his boss was crazy. It was true and he knew it. “I’m sure he will be fine now. We can only hope.” He said. Once the party ended he stood up, “Well I guess I’m gonna get going. I will see you tomorrow.” He said, smiling at her. “Be careful tonight. Call me if you need anything.” He said as he pulled his jacket on.

@ momentai.

"You're not coming with me," Bryce said firmly as he stared at her. "If something was going to happen to me, it would have happened already. Your father prefers theatrics, we both know that. He wouldn't do something when it wasn't going to be surrounded by a crowd. The crowd's gone, I'm safe." He eyed her for a moment and eventually let out a sigh. He was right, he knew that, but, mostly, he was saying it all because he didn't want Mia to worry. If anything, if John wanted him dead, he'd wait until Bryce came back the next day so that he could kill him in front of everybody. For now, though, he was safe. "Go inside. Sleep. You know how to contact me if you need me, but otherwise, just... Try to relax."

---

"If he wanted to hurt me, Kaleb, you wouldn't be able to stop him. If he wanted to hurt me, he'd kill you, then hurt me, because he won't stop until he gets what he wants unless he decides that he wants something else," Aria muttered quietly as she stared at him. She didn't want him getting in the middle of this, though; it wasn't Kaleb's battle to fight. She sighed, though, when he mentioned leaving and she nodded slightly. "Okay," she murmured, "I'll see you tomorrow. Be careful going home."

Mia bit her bottom lip lightly as he talked, "Okay." She whispered, defeated. She watched him for a moment before she grabbed his cheeks and kissed him deeply. She pulled away from him, "Goodnight Bryce." She said, stepping back from him. She went inside and sighed as she walked upstairs to her bedroom. She got ready for bed then sat down on her bed, thinking about Bryce. She laid down, holding her phone in her hand tightly as she fell asleep. She woke up the next morning to the sound of yelling downstairs. Mia got dressed in something simple and walked to the top of the stairs. She sighed as she seen her dad people dragging some poor bastard in the house. "Just one day would be nice." She said as she walked down the stairs. She walked outside and sat on the stairs, looking at her phone. Part of her was relieved to see Bryce pull up in the driveway. She put her sunglasses her head as he approached her. "They're inside." She said simply.

---

Kaleb groaned as he got out of his car and walked into the house. He smiled when he seen Aria in the kitchen making herself something to eat. He looked over at the guy that was on the floor and then looked at Bryce. He was glad to see his friend alive and well. John looked at them, "Take him to the basement." He said to Bryce and Kaleb. Oh great he was going to kill him with Bryce. He helped Bryce get the guy downstairs and didn't say anything to the other guy. He figured that Bryce's silence said it all. He was freaking out since last night and looked like he didn't sleep at all. "Um...you okay?" Kaleb finally asked as they handcuffed the guy to the bar on the wall.

@ momentai.

Bryce offered a small nod when Mia told her that they were inside. At least he'd been called about this, so it seemed that John still had use for him for right now. Climbing out of his car, he made his way inside, but didn't really speak to anybody as he went to the basement. When he heard Kaleb, he glanced over for a moment. "I'm fine," he said in response, though he sighed quietly. "I've just been worried about Mia all night. After what John did... I just wasn't sure if she was safe. She looks okay, though, so I guess I was worrying for no reason."

---

Aria felt like wearing something a little different today. She felt mostly like relaxing, but she was aware that it probably wouldn't be possible. She had the feeling that her father was up to something, but she couldn't outright question him about it. With a sigh, she busied herself with making toast to put jelly on, the radio on in the kitchen again. She hadn't even noticed Kaleb when he came in or when the group had gone down to the basement.

Mia walked inside and went to the kitchen, "Well he didn't kill him." She muttered to her sister as she got herself a bowl of cereal. She looked at Aria then sat down and began to eat her cereal. He dad seemed to be in a good mood today with was weird. Mia bit her bottom lip lightly as Kaleb came back upset with Bryce. John looked at them, "We are going to deal with him later. For now let's just let his mind do the work." He said. "Feel free to relax here for now." He said before walking into his office. Mia finished her cereal and washed her bowl before she left the kitchen and went outside. She sat down on the bench on the patio and played on her phone. She really didn't want to be inside of the house. Bruises covered her arm from where her dad had grabbed her last night.

---

Kaleb nodded, "Yea i think they are fine now. I think he was just having a moment." He said before he walked upstairs. He smiled as he found Aria, "Good morning." He said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Everyone made themselves at home. "Everything go okay last night?" He asked her. He was glad to see that the two girls weren't in any danger.

@ momentai.